Ask people to name the most innovative states in America, and you are not likely to hear the word “Ohio.” Isn’t that the Midwest farm state where all the factories went broke?

If you are still living in the 1980s, yes. But I had a front-row seat for a different story at Ohio’s Future of Mobility Conference, hosted by the Beta District and the Intelligent Community Institute of Dublin Ohio It took place at the Automotive and Mobility Innovation Center in the Beta District, a technology corridor between Dublin and neighboring Marysville, where private and public-sector partners have created a unique test bed for connected vehicles. They have installed fiber networks and wireless transceivers along 35 miles of State Route 33, a busy road for cars and trucks where technology is being stress-tested in all weathers and road conditions.

In this freewheeling conversation, municipal CIOs and IT experts discuss the challenges of deploying reliable and secure information technology systems to support operations, deliver services and improve decision-making – within the limits of municipal budgets.  They explore the opportunities to expand capabilities and reduce costs provided by the latest technology developments.

Your personal or professional reputation is important. Today, that reputation exists mostly online – shaped by your pictures, posts and tweets as well as by what others post and tweet about you.